Australia-based
Viridian is in the
process of a multi-million dollar
upgrade of its glass manufacturing
plant in Dandenong, Victoria. The
upgrade includes a relining of the furnace
and the installation of a CVD coater.

Steve Choat, general manager of
manufacturing, says two years of planning
has ensured that appropriate reserves
of the company’s range of existing
glass products will be available
during the 17-week plant upgrade.

“Viridian customers can be confident
that our products will continue to be
available during the period that the
Dandenong plant will be off-line,” says
Choat. “We have undertaken detailed
logistics planning to meet anticipated
market demand, such as increasing our
product inventory substantially, introducing
additional warehousing space,
and increasing the capacity loading of
our Sydney floatline.”

When the new plant is commissioned
later this year, it will provide the industry
with glass products that will develop
the function, performance and
aesthetics of glazing within the overall
design of the building fabric.

“The new plant will have the capability
of producing hard coat low-E products,
allowing for special performance
coatings to bond to the surface of the
glass,” Choat says. “There is a wide range
of coatings we can apply for different applications,
but all are very tough and
durable and being locally made we can
provide prompt delivery.”
❙❙➤ www.viridianglass.com

russia
Guardian Begins
Glass Production
at New Russian Plant
Float glass production is underway at
Guardian Industries’ newest facility in
Ryazan, Russia. The Ryazan plant will
produce 750 tons per day for commercial
and residential construction.

The plant also includes a coating machine
that enables the manufacture of a variety of high-performance coated
glass products to serve
the region as well as international customers.

“This was the right time for Guardian to move into this growing
region,” says Lajos Sapi, group vice president of Central and Eastern
Europe. “The decision to build in Ryazan fits with our global
strategy and our marketing considerations.”
❙❙➤ www.guardian.com

united kingdom
Paxton Access Expands to New Factory
Paxton Access, the Brighton, U.K.-based manufacturer of the
Net2 access control system, has opened a new manufacturing unit
in Eastbourne to satisfy the increasing demand for its products.

“The new factory has significantly increased our output capacity
and freed up space for planned departmental expansions
at our Brighton head office,” says Adam Stroud, sales and marketing
director. “We will better our already impressive performance
of bringing innovative new products to market. It also
means that our support team now has the space to grow with
our expanding customer base.”
❙❙➤ www.paxton.co.uk

china
Southwall Technologies Signs
Distributor in China for XIR® Glass Products
Southwall Technologies Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif., a manufacturer of
films and glass
products, has selected Kaisheng Building Materials (KBM) in Shenzhen,
China, to
supply its XIR films to domestic Chinese glass manufacturers. The
relationship,
effective immediately, is the result of ongoing discussions between
Southwall and
the Chinese state and municipal authorities toward providing
energy-efficient glass
to China’s rapidly growing commercial building market.

“With KBM now part of Southwall’s world-wide distribution team, we are
well
positioned to respond to China’s growing demand for energy-efficient
glass products
to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in buildings,” says
Dennis
Capovilla, Southwall’s chief executive officer. “Southwall’s advanced
XIR film
technology is an attractive solution for Chinese architects and
developers who
have increasing interest in the benefits of green commercial building.”
❙❙➤ www.southwall.com

H.B. Fuller Builds Adhesive Facility in China
H.B. Fuller Co. in St. Paul, Minn., has announced that it will invest
further in the
Asia Pacific region by building a new hot melt moisture cure (HMMC) and
polyisobutylene
(PIB) manufacturing facility in China. Construction on the new facility
is expected to commence in early 2009 with production expected to begin
in early
2010. The facility will produce specialty adhesives for applications
that include insulating
glass.
❙❙➤ www.hbfuller.com

ADCO Global to Invest
in New Sealant/Adhesive Facility in China
ADCO Global announced that its Kömmerling subsidiary has signed
agreements
with the Nanjing High Technology Zone to build and operate a plant in
Nanjing,
China, to manufacture sealants and adhesives for the construction and
transportation
markets in China and Asia. Construction of Phase 1 of the new facility
is
already underway and operation is expected to commence in early 2009.
The new facility will utilize raw materials produced in Asia and enable
increased
penetration of rapidly expanding Asian markets while complementing
ADCO Global’s existing production units in U.S.A. and Germany.
❙❙➤ www.adcoglobal.com